The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is seeking input for a new investigation on COVID-19 related industry sectors and products. The investigation, COVID-19 Related Goods: The U.S. Industry, Market, Trade, and Supply Chain Challenges, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means and the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance in a letter received on August 13, 2020.
As requested, the USITC, an independent nonpartisan fact finding federal agency, will provide the following:
- a brief overview of key U.S. industry sectors producing COVID-related goods, including, but not limited to, medical devices; personal protective equipment; and medicines (pharmaceuticals). The overviews will include, to the extent practicable, information on U.S. production, employment, and trade. Then if like most businesses you now have some remote staff you will likely be facing some challenges in managing those staff but you can actually monitor computer activity to see what they are doing so that definitely makes things a lot easier.
- case studies on key products within each relevant industry sector, including N95 respirators, ventilators, vaccines, and COVID-19 test kits. The case studies will focus on products for which there were reported shortages in the first half of 2020, including those affected by supply chain fragility, blockages, or barriers, and will include information on:
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- the U.S. industry, market, and trade, including, to the extent available:
- the product, including key components and the production process;
- the size and characteristics of the U.S. market;
- the U.S. manufacturing industry, including key producers of finished goods and intermediate inputs, the extent of U.S. production, and employment; and
- imports of finished goods and inputs, including leading source countries and supplying firms; and
- supply chain challenges and constraints, including, but not limited to:
- factors affecting domestic production, including, to the extent practicable, regulatory requirements that may impact entry into the market; and
- foreign trade barriers and restrictions and other factors that may affect U.S. imports of finished goods or inputs needed for domestic production.
- the U.S. industry, market, and trade, including, to the extent available:
The USITC expects to deliver its report to the Committees by December 15, 2020.
The USITC is seeking input for the investigation from all interested parties and requests that the information focus on the issues for which the USITC is requested to provide information and advice. The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation on September 23, 2020.
ISEA has requested to appear at the hearing and will submit written testimony for the record. The Association welcomes member insights and input as staff draft and prepare for testimony.
ISEA members are encouraged to also provide written submissions. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission and submitted no later than 5:15 p.m. on October 2, 2020. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.
ISEA staff is available to assist members in preparing and submitting written statements. Please reach out to Dan Glucksman at dglucksman@safetyequipment.org.
IMPORTANT:
- All filings, including requests to appear at the hearing and written submissions, must be made through the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (EDIS3Help@usitc.gov), or consult with Commission’s Handbook on Filing Procedures.
- Information concerning the format of the hearing and certain other hearing details will be announced on the Commission’s website at (https://www.usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/what_we_are_working_on.htm). Scroll down to the entry for this investigation and click on the link to “hearing instructions.” Interested parties should check the USITC website periodically for updates.
Further information on the scope of the investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the USITC’s notice of investigation, dated August 21, 2020, which can be obtained from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at the above address or commissionhearings@usitc.gov.
USITC general fact-finding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general fact-finding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General fact-finding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.
